London, 5 September (Argus) — General Electric (GE), Virgin Australia and a group of partners are entering the research and development phase of developing a commercial bio jet fuel using material from the eucalypt tree, a close relative of the eucalyptus.
The consortium will focus on the pyrolytic conversion of biomass from the mallee eucalypt tree, and aims to have a pilot production unit in operation in Australia by the end of 2012.
GE and its partners are pushing the project on its potential economic and environmental merits. The airline industry will soon be covered by carbon emissions trading schemes around the world, and some companies may see the use of fuel from sustainable sources as a way to curb costs.
The consortium suggests that the use of the fuel could cut the Australian airline industry's greenhouse gas emissions by 17pc, reduce the country's reliance on imported jet kerosine by $2bn/yr over 20 years and create more than 12,000 jobs.
German carrier Lufthansa started regular Hamburg-Frankfurt biofuel flights in mid-July as part of a six-month trial of the economic benefits of alternative aviation fuels. Lufthansa's test fuel, produced by Finnish refiner Neste Oil, is a blend of materials derived from jatropha, camelina and animal fats.
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